Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Price Target Lowered to $195.00 at Guggenheim

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its price objective cut by Guggenheim from $211.00 to $195.00 in a report issued on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a buy rating on the health services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on UHS. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on Universal Health Services from $229.00 to $194.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Universal Health Services from $216.00 to $190.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal Health Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $233.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $213.73.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $150.66 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $152.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.28, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Universal Health Services has a 52 week low of $140.08 and a 52 week high of $246.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.41 by $0.21. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.56% and a return on equity of 19.57%. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.84 EPS. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 23.44 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 3.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in Universal Health Services by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,112,604 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $460,590,000 after purchasing an additional 505,575 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,781,262 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $318,812,000 after buying an additional 192,351 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,226,577 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $219,520,000 after buying an additional 20,577 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth about $199,334,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 59.5% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 871,377 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $189,978,000 after buying an additional 325,162 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

Universal Health Services, Inc (NYSE: UHS) is one of the largest diversified health care management companies in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of services through its acute care hospital and behavioral health segments. The company operates general acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals and ambulatory centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities. Its network provides emergency and specialized medicine, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, advanced surgical care and rehabilitation, complemented by a comprehensive array of behavioral services including psychiatric treatment, addiction programs and developmental disabilities care.

In the acute care segment, UHS’s facilities deliver services ranging from emergency department treatment and intensive care to maternity care and outpatient surgery.